730 Campus Crisis and Emergency Management

Approved by Board of Trustees Effective Date: June 5, 2017Responsible Division: Business and FinanceResponsible Office: University PoliceResponsible Officer: Assistant Vice President, University Police

I. Purpose

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or University) considers emergency preparedness
and planning activities essential for maintaining the safety and security of the campus
and our community. This policy ensures that the University develops and maintains
plans and procedures utilizing emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery
criteria consistent with the National Incident Management System and the Tennessee
Emergency Management Plan. These plans and procedures will help ensure that the University
is able to respond appropriately in the case of emergencies or disasters which could
occur within or around the University in order to mitigate risks to students, faculty,
staff, and property.

II. Definitions, Types, and Levels of Crisis

The following definitions are provided as guidelines to assist personnel in determining
the appropriate response:

A. Level 1 - Limited Crisis: A limited crisis within the scope of this plan is any incident, potential or actual,
which will not seriously affect the overall functional capacity of the University
but requires some degree of action. A limited crisis may be small enough that the
affected department can effectively resolve the issue. In other cases, assistance
from the University Police Department and/or off-campus emergency response groups
may be required according to the standard operating procedures of the MTSU Police
Department. While some damage and/or interruptions may occur, conditions are localized
and MTSU Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation is not needed. Examples of Limited
Crises in the context of this plan may include, but are not limited to, a localized
chemical spill, plumbing failure, or water leak.

B. Level 2 - Issue-Driven Crisis: Includes issue driven and/or slowly developing situations that negatively impact the
University. The incident may be severe and cause damage and/or interruption to MTSU
operations. A partial or full activation of the MTSU EOC may be needed. MTSU may be
the only affected entity. Examples of issue-driven crises may include, but are not
limited to, unscheduled or planned protests or disruptions, civil disturbances, unauthorized
occupancy of campus areas, sexual assaults, controversial speakers, and hate crimes.

C. Level 3 - Major Crisis/Emergency: A major crisis or emergency, within the scope of this plan, is an incident posing
major risk to University personnel, students, visitors, or resources that has caused
or has the potential for causing fatalities or injuries and/or major damage. Such
an incident is equivalent to a campus-wide ‘state of emergency,’ and is expected to
require activation of the MTSU EOC and Crisis Management Team (CMT) in order to provide
an immediate emergency response. MTSU may request assistance from the City of Murfreesboro,
Rutherford County, other state agencies or request federal assistance via the Rutherford
County Emergency Operations Center. A Level 3 crisis may develop from incidents beginning
at the Level 1 or 2 stages. Examples of major crises may include major emergencies,
building emergencies, or disasters such as those listed in Section V.A. below.

III. Emergency Operations Planning

A. An Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) addresses all types of emergency functions.
MTSU shall develop, maintain, and execute an EOP that meets state and federal requirements.
The EOP will guide the MTSU community in responding to natural, man-made and/or public
health hazards with the goal of mitigating risks to students, faculty, staff and property.

B. The EOP shall be based on the concepts and principles of the National Incident
Management System (NIMS), incorporating elements of the Incident Command System (ICS).
The EOP should identify how the University fits within the overall NIMS structure.

D. The EOP shall address how MTSU will integrate and coordinate with other governmental
entities and be shared, as appropriate, with relevant local, regional and/or state
agencies in order to promote coordination among the various entities.

E. Since emergencies normally occur without warning, plans and procedures should
be designed to provide sufficient flexibility to accommodate contingencies of assorted
types and magnitudes.

F. The EOP must be reviewed and revised, as necessary, on at least an annual basis
by senior administrators in conjunction with the University’s CMT.

G. Additionally, aspects of the EOP must be tested in training exercises and drills
consistent with Federal and State law.

H. The University should undertake emergency operations planning within the context
of local or regional, state and federal emergency planning. In order to promote coordination
among these entities, the University should include a local or regional emergency
planning representative to assist it in developing its EOP.

I. University units that are not responsible for maintaining an independent emergency
management plan are still responsible for developing and maintaining local building
emergency procedures to address the safety of occupants with the assistance of and
oversight by campus safety officers.

J. The University’s EOP should be developed and maintained in compliance with Federal
Emergency Management (FEMA) standards.

K. Maintenance of the EOP

1. Environmental Health and Safety will properly maintain the EOP and review it at
least on an annual basis.

2. Electronic and/or hard copies of the EOP will be maintained by all members of
the CMT and department/office heads who will have significant roles in responding
to emergencies.

3. The EOP will also be maintained in the University Police Department.

4. A redacted version of the EOP shall be kept updated and posted on the internet.

5. An electronic copy of the EOP must be maintained in a manner that will permit
access during an emergency.

6. Department/office heads should establish appropriate procedures within their work
units to facilitate EOP implementation.

7. On an annual basis, the President or Designee, in consultation with the CMT, will
review the EOP and update/modify the EOP as necessary.

IV. Emergency Management Roles

A. The administrative emergency management roles of Environmental Health and Safety
and the University Police are to:

1. Provide necessary guidance for University officials to meet federal and state
requirements;

2. Act as liaison with Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency (RCEMA) who
will coordinate with the Tennessee Emergency Management Association (TEMA) directly
on MTSU’s behalf;

6. Report periodically to the President or designee on the status of emergency preparedness.

B. MTSU will develop and maintain a system that assigns and trains people within
campus units as necessary to develop department/building specific responses to general
emergencies, helps communicate campus requirements, provides information during emergencies
and coordinates department/building specific drills.

V. Emergency Status

A. A state of emergency may be declared at any time an emergency reaches such proportions
that it cannot be handled by routine measures. Such emergencies may include, but not
be limited to:

1. tornados

2. earthquakes

3. winter storms

4. fires

5. infectious diseases

6. hazardous chemical spills

7. transportation accidents

8. explosions

9. utility outages

10. civil disturbances

11. bombs

12. hostage situations

13. terrorist activities

14. active threats

15. technological hazards

B. The EOP shall designate an employee (or group of employees) authorized to Declare
an Emergency.

1. The EOP provides that the President or Designee, with or without consultation
from the CMT, will make a determination of whether declaration of an emergency is
appropriate.

2. If an emergency is declared, the employee(s) authorizing the declaration will
cause CMT members (as well as others as directed by the President or Designee) to
be contacted, advise them that an emergency has been declared, and direct them to
respond to the EOC.

3. A systematic calling plan must be established to ensure that CMT members receive
timely notification of the official declaration of emergency.

4. The EOP designates that the President or Designee is the highest University authority
in any emergency situation. The EOP must establish a clear chain of command outlining
University employees with authority to act in response to the emergency.

5. The CMT will serve in a support role to the President or Designee during an emergency.

6. MTSU senior administrators have discretion to determine who to appoint from their
areas to the CMT; however, it is advisable that administrators give serious consideration
to the inclusion of the following personnel with potentially significant operational
responsibilities:

a. President

b. Chief Academic Affairs Officer

c. Chief Business/Finance and Administration Officer

d. Chief Student Affairs Officer

e. Chief Public Relations Officer

f. Chief of University Police Department

g. Director of University Health Services

h. Chief Information Officer

i. Housing/Residence Life Director

j. Physical Plant/Facilities Director

VI.Emergency Processes

A. The EOP will designate a location that will serve as an EOC for the University.
An alternative location should also be designated in the event that the primary location
is not available.

1. Members of the CMT and others as designated by the President or Designee should
be present in the EOC during emergencies, to the extent practicable.

2. University administrators should consider having all activities, such as requests
for personnel, equipment, and supplies monitored and coordinated from the EOC to ensure
a coordinated effort and to ensure the best use of the resources needed to handle
the emergency situation.

3. A log should be maintained in the EOC which reflects all significant events and
actions taken in the EOC.

4. A communications log should also be maintained which reflects the time and date
of every significant communication to/from the EOC, whom the communication was received
from/sent by, to whom the communication was directed, the nature of the communication,
and any EOC action resulting from the communication.

B. The EOP should authorize the establishment of a Command Post on campus that is
near the scene of the emergency. The command post will maintain contact with the EOC
for purposes of instruction, status reports, and requests for support.

C. The EOP should authorize an appropriate administrator to determine that an evacuation
is necessary and issue an evacuation order.

D. The University will designate appropriate location(s) as “Shelter Locations” at
each campus facility.

E. The University will develop and maintain a procedure to manage media inquiries
during an emergency situation.

1. The EOP must include a news/media procedure to direct the management of media
inquiries during emergencies. The University’s News and Media Relations office is
responsible for coordinating the University’s response to news media inquiries at
all times, including emergency situations.

2. No University employee, other than employees of MTSU’s News and Media Relations office
or the designated administrator, should release information to news media representatives,
unless instructed to do so.

3. All news media requests should be directed to MTSU’s News and Media Relations,
the designated administrator, or the EOC.

4. The news media procedures must designate a location for press conferences during
emergency incidents.

5. News media personnel should not be allowed into secure areas without an appropriate
escort.

F. MTSU will maintain a procedure to manage volunteers who respond to an emergency
situation.

1. Volunteers should be directed to the EOC or a central location for registration
and assignment. During the registration process, volunteers will be required to provide
some form of reliable identification.

2. A volunteer log should be maintained which will reflect the name, address, date
of birth, driver’s license or social security number, any particular skill of each
volunteer, the name of the supervisor to whom they are assigned, and the number of
the identification card issued to the volunteer. Access to this information should
be limited to certain personnel and safeguarded at all times.

3. If practical, each volunteer will sign a standard Volunteer Release Form and be issued an identification card that will be affixed to their outer clothing.

4. Volunteers will be assigned to a supervisor involved in the emergency response.

G. MTSU will document and maintain a procedure to manage purchases during an emergency
situation.

1. All emergency purchases will be handled in the shortest possible time frames.

2. To the greatest extent possible, University employees will make purchases using
procurement cards.

3. For those purchases which cannot be made by use of procurement cards, Business
and Finance personnel will facilitate the timely acquisition of needed resources in
a manner consistent with emergency situations.

4. A record of all emergency related expenditures will be maintained by the work
unit making those expenditures. A copy of those records will be forwarded to the EOC
and the original purchase documents will be handled consistent with University purchasing
guidelines.

H. MTSU will develop and maintain a plan to transport persons and/or equipment during
an emergency.

1. An appropriate University department should be designated to be responsible for
providing vehicles for evacuations and other emergency related activities.

2. Distribution of vehicles should be made in such a manner as to maintain accountability
while being responsive to the emergency needs of the University.

3. Facilities Services or appropriate personnel should be prepared to experience
an increase in emergency maintenance to University vehicles, to include minor off-site
repairs related to such problems as flat tires, dead batteries, etc.

I. MTSU will establish a plan for alternate communication options for use during
an emergency response period.

1. Generally, the primary means of communications during an emergency are telephones,
cell phones, satellite phones, and two-way radios.

2. If the University phone system has been rendered inoperable or if the emergency
incident is a bomb threat, then the EOC, CMT, and other necessary personnel will use
cell phones and radios.

3. Radios will be the primary communications medium if landline phones, satellite
phones, and cell phones are inoperable.

4. In the event that phones, cell phones, and radios become inoperable, consideration
should be given to the use of “runners” to transmit messages.

J. The University will have a procedure to document activities in response to an
emergency. Each department/office should be instructed to maintain a record of all emergency-related
activities performed by the personnel of that work unit. The record will reflect the
personnel worker hours (for non-exempt staff), as well the assignments of personnel,
and the work performed by each work unit, and other resources expended in response
to the emergency.

K. MTSU will ensure that copies of campus maps, site maps and building prints/records
are in a central location and/or are disseminated to areas that will need access during
emergency operations.

1. To the extent that doing so does not compromise security of the University, the
EOP shall ensure that accurate copies of main and satellite campus maps/site plans,
prints of buildings, and record plans of buildings are attached to the EOP.

2. If the determination is made that security concerns outweigh the inclusion of
such material in the EOP, then the University must ensure that accurate copies of
campus maps and building prints are maintained in a secure location that is readily
accessible by law enforcement personnel, the President or Designee, and the CMT.

L. MTSU will maintain a Student Assistance Coordinating Committee/Threat Assessment
Team that meets regularly to discuss the needs of distressed, disturbed, disruptive,
or dangerous students.

1. The University’s Student Assistance Coordinating Committee will meet on a regular
basis to evaluate the needs and provide necessary assistance to students who are identified
as distressed, disturbed, disruptive, and/or dangerous.

2. The Division of Student Affairs has the sole discretion to determine which administrators to
appoint to the Committee from the following departments, if applicable:

A. Members of the CMT and department/office heads should ensure that they and members
of their staff are knowledgeable concerning the contents of the EOP.

B. The CMT Members should receive training in the (NIMS) National Incident Management
System method of handling emergency situations.

C. All employees should have knowledge of the contents and procedures of the EOP.
On a periodic basis different aspects of the EOP should be tested, either through
simulated exercises or in-service training, as appropriate.

D. A Safety Committee/Risk Management Committee may be established to assist in these
training exercises as necessary. The Safety Committee / Risk Management Committee
or appropriate personnel may consult the TEMA Training and Education Office to request information
regarding special training seminars.